I have gone to Ulery dental in Crofton for the past two years to get cleanings and yearly exams.\r
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I went in for my annual exam on 19 Jan 10 complaining of aching pain in my lower right jaw, thinking perhaps a filling needed to be redone. I saw Ameena Chimata, and, despite her questionable personal hygiene and non-engaging personality, I informed her of my complaint. As inspected the teeth in the problem area, her only concern was to direct her assistant to make sure a bridge arrived for another client. After performing sensitivity testing, her diagnosis was that tooth 31 needed a root canal. I signed a treatment plan and made an appointment to see Wayne Steinberg on 22 January. \r
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That same day Ryan Mankiewicz performed the cleaning; he commented on the gap between tooth 29 and tooth 30. He stated that he didn’t know if Chimata had noticed this, but they could re-do the filling in tooth 30. \r
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I came back three days later to see Steinberg, and first asked him if he was an endodontist. He brusquely rambled on about how he was in the military ten years ago, and how he has performed hundreds of root canals, and then curtly told me to sit down. After performing sensitivity testing, he opined that it was tooth 30 causing the problem, but the tooth was not infected, just injured. He explained that even if the tooth just needed a crown, it would eventually need a root canal, so I should just go ahead and get the root canal. He pressed me on what my decision was. I decided NOT to get the root canal, wanting instead to get a second opinion, and, if necessary, to get a root canal from an endodontist vice a general dentist. \r
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Over the weekend, I decided to give Ulery one more chance to resolve this issue before going to another dental office. I asked specifically to see Ryan, since he was the one who spotted the issue with tooth 30. Also I did not want there to be the language issue I had perceived with Chimata. As I sat in the dental chair on 28 Jan, I recounted the comments he made, and expressed a desire to have the filling in tooth 30 redone in order to resolve the problem. Ryan read both his notes as well as Steinberg’s in my file, and then disparagingly stated that he said something different. He went on to explain that it is impossible to get perfect contact, but I could get another x-ray if I wanted. I opted not to get another x-ray as I might need more x-rays at the second dentist I had contacted. \r
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Expressing my disappointment with the dental services at Ulery, I stated I was considering going to another dentist. Ryan stated in a loud and very argumentative tone, “you can go get a second opinion if you want, but they are going to tell you the same thing,” or words to that effect. As I got out of the chair and picked up my coat, I told him, “I just want you to understand...,” at which point he cut me off, stating, “oh, I understand.” I continued after he made his snide comment, “I don’t want whatever problem is going on to get any WORSE.” He then said he would redo a filling if he thought there was any decay underneath the filling, but he did not think that this was the case with tooth 30.\r
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My experience at Ulery has gone from “average” to “sub-par.” Ulery is a high-volume operation marked by confusion, disregard, and shoddy facilities. When I tried to have a say in my dental care, I was treated as if I was “holding up the works” of their dental mill. Instead of allying my anxiety, Mankiewicz made a situation requiring dental attention WORSE.\r
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I had the dental exam with another dentist on 12 Feb 10. They took a digital x-ray of tooth 30 and tooth 31; the dentist spotted decay on tooth 30. She was able to work on tooth 30 that day, finding decay under the filling. The tooth is currently prepped for a crown. If ever I need a root canal on tooth 30, I will get a referral to an endodontist.
Pros: Nothing
Cons: Everything
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